Customer Reviews

Venus in Blue Jeans

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Docia Kent figures Konigsburg, Texas, is the perfect place to get over her lying fiancé and hide out from her meddling parents, but she doesn't reckon on vet Cal Toleffson, a six-foot-five-inch hunk of gorgeous manhood who takes one look at Docia and knows shes the love of his life. Now if Cal can only convince Docia to give love a chance, while fending off burglars, con men, jealous rivals, and the eccentric citizens of Konigsburg, maybe they can even make it to happily ever after!(from goodreads)

Sometimes we need a break from the reading that we are doing and Meg Benjamin's series has done just that for me! Venus is very well written, has a great plot (with mystery, drama, and hunky goodness) and kept me coming back for more. When I read my romance novels I find (sometimes) that I have to try to get over little things in order to really enjoy it (minor mistakes in plot, too much detail about the things we don't really care about, etc.). That is not the case with this novel.

Docia and Cal are completely believable characters and I found myself rooting for them and going through the struggles they are going through. I cannot wait to see what happens next with all of these characters and can only guess what will happen when all of their relatives come to town. Cal, the vegetarian veterinarian, and Docia, the trust fund baby, definitely add spice to the little town of Konigsburg, Texas and I can only imagine what is to come!

Characters
Cal Toleffson - The vet, who is also the newest member of the small town of Konigsburg. He brings so much more than his skill with animals to the town- the grapevine is all abuzz with who will be the lucky girl to get with him.
Docia Kent - Trying too hard or just hiding from herself, with Docia you never can tell - when she spots Cal however - that's a decision that was definately not hard to make.

The Plot
After living in Konigsburg, Texas for two years, you would think the town would have embraced a newcomer by now, not so in Konigsburg - everything was politics and Docia Kent was most definitely not politically correct.

Literally hiding her bushel under a light due to a past break-up she gets on with her days as best as she can. When she spots not only the newest resident of Konigsburg but someone who makes her sit up and take notice, she treads a weary path as everything is not always as it seems in small town Konigsburg.

Vet Cal Toleffson knows exactly what he sees when he sets eyes on Docia - a goddess and he intends to get to know her better. Deciding that only one night is all they can give to each other, their plans becomes farcical when the entire town decides to give their opinion on any plans they have for romance.

However with all the comedy around town, there is also something dark slithering through and it seems to have earmarked Docia and all she loves dear. With the town not embracing her with open arms, can she rely on Cal or is he just bidding his time to disappoint her as well?


Surprise Element
There was a lot of little gems in this story. Not only was the setting a pleasure (small town settings does it for me), but the characters that goes with it made me sit up and had a laugh, more laughs and i fell in love - even with the weirdest of the bunch.

The fact that the mystery runs parallel to the romance between Cal and Docia was also another treat - and it really was a mystery - Ms. Benjamin has that little extra something with her tension filled scenes that you really won't want to put this one down until you have reach the very end.

Predictability
With small town you never know what to expect. The fact that both Docia and Cal were not from Konigsburg, made all the difference to the story. Everything else going on was more or less par for the course and Ms. Benjamin run with it and i really like her take on what these people get up to in this small town.

Smut/Ick Factor
A fair amount of fun was to be had by all. These two made up for the time they were apart every chance they get. No shy wall flower was Docia and Cal was just waiting on someone like her - believe me they got it on as much as they could...

I feared for the sanity of this little town - the heat flowing off these two was just phenomenal.


Positive
A new to me author, Meg Benjamin has certainly made me sit up and take a second look with this wonderful read. Docia and Cal are really the life of the party and they make the most of the situation they are in and I had fun with them.

This book had a little of everything, the warring community, the dysfunctional family situation, the love interest - that was a laugh a minute. Then there is the psycho neighbour with the even more psychotic dog - as I said - a laugh a minute.

The town dynamics is so accurate of what small town living is like - you never know what the grapevine is up to at any hour of the day.

Ms. Benjamin does a brilliant job with the small details like descriptions of places and the situation at hand and this made a whole lot of difference to the shape of this book.

A big hit in this book for me was how Ms. Benjamin highlighted all of Docia's assets - she was a full figured goddess and she had everything in all the right places - Ms. Benjamin dressed her nicely, she gave her the allure to have men breaking out in sweat and she had that holier than thou air (when she wanted to) to annoy the hell out of family, friends and warring neighbours...

I can't say enough about how funny the characters in this book were, there were not only ha ha giggles funny moment - but they were also so sarcastically rude - I cracked up with laughter.

The town and it's personalities were very well developed, I knew where the town was coming from and I got to know the stories behind local feuds and other minor happening in the town.

There was a good pace to this book, and some characters were larger than life and although no one really scary, there was definately an eclectic bunch of people floating around Konigsburg.

Negative
The one little niggle that stood out for me was the fact that that there was no chatter between Docia and Cal. With a relationship that is in the getting to know you stage, Docia and Cal spend more time getting their smut on or caught up in towns business than actually any quality time on them as a couple..

This,I only picked up on at the end of the book - everything else was so nicely done, I almost missed the fact that these two did not spend anytime talking to each other about themselves as a unit.

Covers
I did like this cover, I am not a big fan of cover with actual face view - as I like to form my own opinion of what the main protags are like, however this cover does a really good job of what I picture Docia to look like.

This was a pleasure to read. The plot wasn't so flimsy or far-fetched that it was unbelievable or absurd. It has a great deal of TX history that led to the plot and actually had me wanting to go read up on the state's history. I started the book while making dinner and finished it before bed. I would recommend this as great escapism reading.

Konigsburg, Texas may be a tourist's nirvana, but the residents have to live there year round and they take their town pretty seriously. New business owners like Dorcia Kent are given the hairy eyeball for a while until they prove themselves, even if they have lived in town for two years. If meddling Margret Hastings has her way, in fact, Docia would be run out on a rail with her hair on fire. Meanwhile, tall and good looking veterinarians like Cal Toleffson who've only been in town for a couple of months don't have quite the same problem. He's charmingly oblivious, but everyone else has surely noticed that the veterinarian clinic he bought into when he moved to town has had a huge swell of female pet owners of late...though he has been appreciating the cookies and brownies that have been pouring in. That doesn't keep him from heading to the Dew Drop for a beer after work. It may not be the shiniest place in town, but the tourists tend to stay away, and he can get a cold drink and talk to a few of the acquaintances becoming friends.

The Dew Drop didn't offer much in the way of female companionship, though. Not until he looked up and felt the heart fall out of his chest. Botticelli's Venus was suddenly standing at the other end of the bar, ordering a margarita and glancing his way. In that instant, Cal was a goner, the zing of attraction for her more like a lightning bolt in his chest. So he did what any self respecting veterinarian smelling like the back end of a goat would do...he fled.

Unable to get the woman off his mind, however, he had every intention of regrouping and following up with the woman his friends told him was Docia Kent, gorgeous, yes, but according to rumor, uninterested in the local male population. Little did Cal know that a feline emergency would drop the delectable Docia right into his lap - but he's got to save her beloved...if a bit bedeviled...cat first.

Full of zany secondary characters and a town that takes on a personality all it's own, Venus in Blue Jeans is a quirky, sweet romp in the Texas heat. The attraction between Cal and Docia is instantaneous, and the developing relationship is fun to watch. There's a bit of suspense, a bit of mystery, and a bit of laughter to be found on the pages of this book, and Benjamin's style is cool, crisp, and smooth. I enjoyed both Cal, the vegetarian veterinarian, and Docia, the land magnate's headstrong and independent bookselling daughter. Cal is fairly uncomplicated and easy going, and watching him try to avoid the romantic clutches of Margaret Hastings is quite adorable. Docia is a bit more complex, with Daddy issues and still bearing the scars of a money-hungry ex-boyfriend who used her for her connections. Toss in a feisty chihuahua and a slightly deranged self proclaimed nemesis and a few shady happenings, and you have several hours of enjoyable reading.

I liked it quite a bit, actually, despite a few small issues. The relationship between Cal and Docia developed a bit too quickly for my personal tastes, and the inevitable relationship conflict seemed a wee bit lacking in the conflict department. Cal's reaction to what happened (details withheld to prevent spoilers) came off as a bit too harsh given his personality, and when I looked at the big picture, I sorta understood where Docia was coming from and why she felt the way she felt at that point in the story. Because everything moved so fast between them, I just think a little more give on both sides would have been more realistic.

The book was an incredibly quick read, and I'm not sure if it was just that the narrative was that smooth and the characters and plot that interesting, or if it was just remarkably well paced and pleasing for me stylistically. Both are true, so regardless, I found myself surprised at how quickly I was invested in the story and town. It did lack a little...oomph, I guess, in the emotional impact department. That's not a criticism at all, though. That's more personal preference, maybe. I liked it, and as it's the first Meg Benjamin book I've read, I'm pleased to have found a new author I enjoy. If you like romances that are more sweet than intense, with humor and a bit of suspense thrown in, you can't get much better than Venus in Blue Jeans - especially while it's being offered as a free Kindle download. I've already bought the second in the series, Wedding Bell Blues: Konigsburg, Texas Book 2. Can't wait to see what's up in Konigsburg next!

Originally reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

Placing the first book in a series for free is a great marketing idea. I really enjoyed Venus in Blue Jeans and went on to buy the rest of the series. Of course, it helped that the other three were under $5 each. That said, I found all the Konigsburg books enjoyable, although I wouldn't say they were worth reading again. If you want to pass a few hours with likeable characters, a few wacky animals, some small town events and a bit of sex and some conflict to spice things up, then these four Konigsburg books provide you with several hours of fun reading.

I didn't really know what to expect from this one, but it turned out to be a fun - FUNNY - contemporary romance. Though it's set in a small town, the characters actually act their ages, not like some granny's idea of how "the youth of today" should act, with all those small town values.

Meg Benjamin has a writing style I'm sure many authors would kill for. I spent a lot of my time reading this book with a smile on my face. Hero Cal Toleffson was someone I fell in love with immediately. He is completely oblivious to the adoration of the women around him, and is vulnerable in many ways. He was a perfect match for heroine Docia Kent.

Some of the secondary characterisations are over the top, with cartoonish bad guys, which is why I am giving this four stars instead of five. I suppose it fitted in with the light-hearted theme of the book, but I also felt that it killed my enjoyment of the main relationship a bit.
However I definitely intend to continue with this series. It is the kind of thing you want to read to relax, to invest in some great characters for a few hours.

A fun, sexy contemporary romance in the tradition of Jennifer Crusie. A tall, good-looking, good guy hero and a tall, good-looking, bookish heroine match wits against one another and some serious baddies lurking beneath the placid surface of small-town Konigsburg, Texas. I normally don't turn to Samhain for straight-up contemporary romance, but I'm definitely going to be reading the rest of the books in this fun series.

One of the better free offerings out there. So good in fact, that I purchased books 2, 3, and 4. I have just finished book 4 today, and I am fighting the temptation to start them all over.

This was a great book to read especially since it was free. I will now go on and read the series and I will certainly look out for more Meg Benjamin books.

Often Kindle Freebies are like the furniture shredding puppy that someone is trying pass off as well mannered dogs. Not such in this case. The book is nothing but a pleasure to read and I read the entire series in rapid succession.

If you like sweet hunks, a fair and believable portrait of small town Texas, hot sex, really wonderful secondary characters and some very fun plot twists, you'll enjoy this book. If you like hanging out in bars, or scones, or book shops, or silly reasons for fairs or festivals.... you'll enjoy this book. If you're humorless, like big misunderstandings that keep the couple apart for most of the book, enjoy couples who dislike one another as a plot device, you're probably screwed.

Oh, and if you love animals, you'll have one (or more) in each book.

Five stars, highly recommended. Saved and already re-read.